My Fellow Kansans

It's the end of the line for Kansas lawmakers. The curtain comes down on the 2018 legislative session Friday — maybe before. We'll talk about the fate of the big tax-cut bill we discussed last week and the school funding plan. Plus, what is the "Truth Caucus" and what are their plans for 2018? Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas

All the commotion around a school funding plan may have overshadowed the fact that Kansas lawmakers are also working on a controversial tax cut bill. Some say it simply returns a federal windfall to Kansas taxpayers. Others argue it’s unaffordable at a time when the state is still recovering from former Governor Sam Brownback’s 2012 tax cuts. Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app .

Lawmakers and Governor Jeff Colyer have written another chapter in the story of this ongoing debate by authorizing a $500 million increase in school funding over the next five years. But will that be enough to end the litigation? If not, are we headed for another showdown like the one that rocked the Statehouse in 2005? Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Jim McLean is managing

After months and months of debate, it’s finally happened. The Kansas Legislature has passed a school funding plan. Now, the questions are whether lawmakers can fix a mistake in the plan and, once fixed, whether it increases funding enough to satisfy the Kansas Supreme Court. Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Music used in this episode: Warming Evening by Nameless Dancers;

The clock is ticking for the Kansas Legislature to agree on a new school finance formula. One lawmaker in the middle of the debate says while progress is being made, it’s not happening fast enough. On this episode, the story of the legislature’s increasingly frantic efforts to meet the court’s end of the month deadline. Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Music used in this

Is this the right time for a new political party in Kansas? Can an independent candidate win the governor’s race? The coming election could give us answers to both questions. The viability of independent candidates and parties in this edition of Statehouse Blend Kansas. Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Music used in this episode: Warming Evening by Nameless Dancers; Soothe ,

Last year the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the state wasn't adequately funding its public schools. What the justices didn’t say was how much more money would be enough. But a new development has potentially changed the debate to the tune of $2 billion dollars. Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR,

Last year the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the state wasn't adequately funding its public schools. What the justices didn’t say was how much more money would be enough. But a new development has potentially changed the debate to the tune of $2 billion dollars. Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR,

Are Kansas’ strict voter registration laws necessary protections against fraud, or are they a nakedly political attempt to disenfranchise certain voters? That question is at the heart of a federal trial going on in Kansas. We explain this complicated issue and get the latest from the Statehouse. Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Music used in this episode: Warming Evening by

In the weeks since the shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school, student activists and others have taken to the streets in an effort to spur policy makers to talk about how we regulate guns. But, is that debate happening here in Kansas? Subscribe to Statehouse Blend Kansas, and stay up to date with the latest news from the Kansas Legislature: iTunes , Google Play , and on the NPR One app . Music used in this episode: Warming Evening by Nameless Dancers; Sad Marimba by Lee Rosevere; Am-Trans